On 26 November, 1943, the P-47s of the 56th Fighter Group were tasked
to escort B-24 Liberators of the 392nd Bomb Group on a dangerous mission
to attack the heavily defended industrial and dockyard facilities in the
German port of Bremen. Zemke knew the Luftwaffe would be waiting for them
as they approached the target, and they were – in force! It was to become
a day of high drama. With the Luftwaffe throwing all the fighters they
could muster at the American heavy bombers,a massive aerial battle ensued.
In the running dogfights high over Bremen, the “Wolfpack” claimed their
most successful action of the war with 23 confirmed kills, 3 probables,
and 9 damaged, creating an all-time record in the European Theatre. The
392nd’s B-24 Liberators could not have been in safer hands on that eventful
day.